Is one man’s attempt to chronicle the reality and the challenge presented to anyone unlucky enough to be struck down by Guillaine-Barre Syndrome.

It is not intended to provide technical solutions or an exhaustive guide to the recovery process but it does convey a very clear understanding of what it feels like to be on the inside of the illness.

With humour and defiance Sheppard chronicles his personal journey and by anecdote and observation builds a patchwork in vivid colour of the view from the interior.

The physical debility he endured served only to sharpen his sense of the absurd. His easy writing style is deceptive as he pours metaphorical scorn on the worst that GBS could throw at him and laughs right back in defiance.

If “The diving bell and the butterfly” made you cry then this will make you laugh and cry in equal measure.

It’s a compelling read which tugs at the heart strings and gladdens the soul. An alchemy of words and experience sharply observed.